An Epidemic of Hopelessness September is National Suicide Prevention Month. There’s been a lot of talk in the media about it, and that’s a good thing. For too long the rule of thumb was “We don’t talk about that.” I’ve battled depression all my life, and I’ve also wrestled (especially in my youth) with … Read more
Touch-Me-Not Last week my wife had a heart procedure and needed several days of quiet rest. A few days later I got this email from a dear friend: “Hello! I don’t want to interrupt you in person, so here is a HUG from our house! Hope all is well. Love, Kevin.” That simple message brought … Read more
What’s one thing everyone has in common? There are many answers to that question, but I think the most significant one is that we all have a name. For the great majority of us, it’s a name given to us by our parents. Perhaps you’ve wondered why Mom and Dad gave you that particular moniker. … Read more
The holidays are here! Are you thinking “Ho! Ho! Ho!” or “No! No! No!” Do you want to deck the next person who sings “Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly?” Is your “fight or flight” response on high alert? I know the feeling. Take a deep breath…you can do this. The key is strategy. … Read more
Winning the War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel is spot-on with its subtitle: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. If you’ve never heard of him, Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, one of the largest churches in the world with multiple campuses. He’s a handsome, charismatic speaker and a best-selling author with … Read more
Three men are having a discussion. “I’m a pessimist,” says one. “I’m an optimist,” says the second. Both men turn to the third. “Which are you?” “Neither,” the third man replies. “I’m a peptimist.” The first man snorts. “A peptimist? What’s that?” “Well,” the third man explains, “A pessimist is someone who says ‘It can’t … Read more
Or, How to Transform a Poor Self-Image Becoming a Christian was the best decision I ever made, but it didn’t immediately remove all my problems. I was only 18 when I got saved, but I was already loaded with “habits, hurts and hangups,” to quote Celebrate Recovery. In just a few days I will be … Read more
Okay, first you need to understand I’m not dissing my mother. I love Mom and miss her dearly (she’s in heaven now). And I know she loved me. She was a first-rate Mom who did her very best to raise her kids right. But she lied to me. It wasn’t intentional. She was trying … Read more
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? (It’s also the month I was born, but that’s not the topic of this post, so we’ll let that go.) According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization, depression affected 264 million people worldwide in 2020. Most of them would have struggled even … Read more
So, how are you feeling? Fine? No, I mean really. How are you really? It’s okay if the honest answer is a reluctantly uttered “Depressed.” You’re not alone. Feeling Depressed? According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 20.6% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2019. That’s 51.5 million people, or 1 in … Read more